WICHITA, Kan. - The University of Arkansas at Monticello women's basketball team began its 2024-25 campaign against Newman University on Friday in the GAC/MIAA Crossover tournament held in the Fugate Gymnasium. The Blossoms took on the Jets of Newman University and came out with a 73-47 win to open the year.

Returning senior Haleigh Crews led the way for Arkansas-Monticello (0-1) with a career-high scoring performance, posting 21 points in the match-up. Crews hit 8-11 total field goals on the day, with one three-pointer made and 4-4 free throws. She also contributed seven defensive rebounds in her 26 minutes played, with two assists and a steal in the season opener.

Bailey Harris was the other Blossom in double-digits on the afternoon, posting 13 points in the game. Harris went 5-11 on field goals, 1-6 on threes, and 2-4 on free throws with three assists, one steal, and a defensive rebound.
 
Newman University (0-1) was led by Jaeden McMillin with 10 points.

The Blossoms held control for the entirety of the game, outscoring the Jets in all four quarters. The opening 10 minutes was the highest-scoring quarter of the game, with the teams scoring a combined 43 points. The first points of the season for UAM came from Haleigh Crews on a layup. After a brief exchange of the lead, the Blossoms took a 14-13 lead over Newman on a Crews layup. Arkansas-Monticello would hold that lead for the remainder of the quarter, outscoring the tournament host 24-19.

UAM held the Jets to single digits in the second quarter, outscoring the home team 14-8 throughout the period. Kennedee Shelton hit a free throw at the end of the half with UAM leading by 11. The teams were sent to the locker room with the Blossoms on top, 38-27.

The second half saw the Blossoms once again increase their lead over the Jets. UAM posted 15 points to NU's 10, increasing the advantage to 16 points before the end of the period.

Quarter four saw the UAM out-perform Newman by 10 points. The Blossoms saw a game-high lead of 29 points after a fast-break layup from Ella Mask with 1:51 left on the clock. As the time ran out, Arkansas-Monticello came out on top in a 73-47 victory.

Arkansas-Monticello committed 13 turnovers in the entirety of the match.

GAME NOTES

• Crews scored a career-high 21 points
• Crews and Harris scores double-digits in seventh straight game as a Blossom
• This was the Blossoms' first season-opener win since the 2019-20 season
• Coach Midlick saw his 18th win as UAM's head coach 

UP NEXT
The Blossoms return to action on Saturday, November 9 to take on Arkansas-Fort Smith in the GAC/MIAA Challenge. The game is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. 

All live streams and live stats will be available as clickable links on the UAM Women's basketball schedule.

How to follow the Blossoms: For more information on Arkansas-Monticello Women's Basketball, visit www.uamsports.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter and Instagram.

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